The 'Hero'
by DeamonPrince
Summary: After a tragic accident, Cloud begins to question himself. Is he a Hero, or something worse.


"A Hero they call me. A man of justice. But am I, or am I just like the monsters I fight?" The Cloud said, resting his hand on the Buster Blade. "It's been years since the last time I came to see you Zack… I barely remember you, but I know you were more like my family than anyone else." Cloud sighed and fell to his knees the rain falling around him had made the grass moist and the dirt mud. He began brushing the insects off the flowers that had begun growing around the sword. "How is Aerith?" Cloud asked, smiling slightly before wiping his eyes of the welling tears.

"Cloud." A soft whisper echoed, Zack's voice, strong yet kind.

"Zack?" Cloud asked, perking up as he looked around and only saw the wolf that often guarded the sword. It walked up to Cloud and sat down, looking him in his eyes. "Zack… am I a hero… I… I killed a man."

"Was he a man? Or was he a monster?" Zack asked, quietly but more stable and steady.

Cloud gently pet the wolf, his eyes staring into the sky blue eyes of the beast. "I know you are this wolf. Your kindness and determination are in him… I'm glad I can at least know you are watching out for me." Cloud sat back and stayed silent for ten minutes, the trickling and dripping sound of rain pattering in the puddles, "Zack, am I a hero or a monster?" He asked quietly.

"Cloud." Zack said, his voice louder.

"He was shoplifting and the alarm startled me. Tifa tried to stop me, but the memories of Sephiroth, the blaring alarms when my home was torched, the sound of his laughter… I hurt her and I killed the man." Cloud took a moment and regained his composure, "Zack, I brutalized the man and people cheered." He looked at the wolf, "Why would they cheer for such violence? I know now that the man was a horrible man, but what if he wasn't?" He asked, sitting back into the muddy ground, soaking his pants with dirty water.

"There is so much pain in this world, pain caused by." Zack was even louder now, as if he stood at the base of the cliff.

"Zack, I watched him draw his last breath and I realized that killing him was so easy… that I didn't regret it. I still don't. I'm so used to fighting and killing that I don't care about it anymore… But that… That is why I'm here." He ran his hand through the Wolf's fur. "I need to know. Am I evil for not feeling bad? He was a bad man, he deserved justice and I delivered… but why do I think I need to grieve? Why do I feel I need to feel for him?"

Cloud sat in silence as the Wolf stood up and walked around him and to the sword, "Cloud." Zack's voice was louder, it was sounding weaker though.

"Zack… should I leave? Should I stay away from people?" The blonde man crawled to the wolf and rested his hand on the rusted heirloom. "I might hurt someone else, Marlene, Tifa, someone just walking by just because of this pain." Cloud remembered the fear he felt as he came too, the worry of people's reaction. "What if another alarm goes off and I kill someone innocent? What if someone mentions Sephiroth and I lose my mind?" Cloud asked, his worry thick in his voice. His head hung down and the rain streaked across his cheeks and fell to the floor.

"Cloud." His voice was weak but still even louder.

"Did I shame you? Did I disgrace you? Can you forgive me?" He begged his friend. Cloud dropped to his hands and knees and began sobbing. "I'm a monster!" He howled, "I feel no shame, no regret, no hurt for killing that man!" He said, his heart heavy, his stomach growling. "I only feel shame in not feeling human." He sobbed, dropping to rest his head in the wet flowers.

"Cloud." Aerith's voice sounding in his mind.

"Aerith… I miss you… You'd be ashamed of me too." Cloud said, sobbing even more, his tears dripping onto the flowers as the wolf stood up and nudged him.

Cloud sat up and looked at the wolf, "I'm a monster, Zack… just like Sephiroth." He cried out, "I feel the rush of the kill in my mind. I feel the pull of darkness in my blood. I might kill again… I might hurt the people I love."

"Cloud…" Zack 's voice struggled, weak and gasping for air.

"What am I supposed to do?" He begged, "What am I?" He collapsed into the wolf and began sobbing, crying into the black and gray fur.

"Cloud... For the both of us... You're going to... Live. You'll be... My living legacy." Zack's voice echoed, his voice sparking a new flame in Cloud.

"Your legacy?" Cloud looked into the wolf's sky blue eyes, "I was your legacy." his voice still uncertain. "I am a monster… how can I be your legacy? You were a hero." Cloud stood up and took a breath, the rain slowly letting up, "I can't go back."

"Cloud." Aerith gasped, pain in her voice.

Cloud's eyes widened as he remembered Aerith's limp body dropping to the floor as Sephiroth murdered her. "Aerith…" He dropped back down and stared at the flowers. "What am I to you?" He stroked a flower petal softly, "I was supposed to protect you. Look what happened."

"You can't blame yourself for that silly." Aerith told him, resting her hand on his shoulder.

Cloud turned to look at her and saw nothing but sunlight breaking through the clouds. "I failed to protect you… I hurt Tifa, I killed a man, I failed as your successor," He said resting his hand on the blade again. "A beast… A Terror like me needs to be taken care of."

Cloud stood up and walked to the edge, he heard the low sound of a motor behind him. He looked down at the two hundred foot drop, "I can end it now."

"Cloud." Zack's voice echoed in his head, pulling at his consciousness.

"Don't Cloud. Think of Tifa, and the kids, and everyone else! They were broke without me. What would happen if they lost you?" Aerith said, sitting behind cloud leaning against his back. The sound of a motor growing louder.

"I am thinking of Tifa… the kids… everyone… I am a monster who can only hurt… I've terrified the kids with my night terrors. I've hurt Tifa over and over in my sleep. I've exploded on Barrett for no reason, I can't control myself anymore."

The sound of the motor finally stopping and the sound of boots hitting the ground quickly echoed in the hills as Cloud began to lean forward, "NO!" Tifa shouted, tears welling in her eyes. "Cloud! Stop!" She begged standing next to the wolf. "Cloud please don't do this."

"Tifa…" Cloud said, shocked to hear her voice.

"Please Cloud. The kids are scared, I'm scared. We need you at home." She pleaded, her voice weak and trembling as Cloud continued to look down the cliff. "Look at me. Cloud. Look at me." She begged him.

"No… I'm… not good for you. I'm a monster. I've hurt you." He leaned forward more and the ground crumbled.

"Cloud!" She cried out, stopping him an inch from going over. "You were having a nightmare and I was trying to soothe you." She stepped forward and stood at the flowers. "Cloud, I need you. You are the only person in my life that makes me feel happy. I even feel like a family… not just friends."

"Cloud. She is right." Aerith whispered, standing behind her. "You are needed here."

"Cloud." Zack whispered, his weak voice in Cloud's mind.

"Cloud… I love you."

"I love you too Tifa." Cloud looked up, he stared at the ruins of Midgar and sighed, "I'm a monster."

"No you aren't." Tifa said, angry at him for believing so.

"I killed a man." Cloud felt the ground under him starting to give away.

"You killed a murderer." Tifa said, stepping around the sword and crouching down.

"I didn't know he was when I killed him. All I saw was fire, Sephiroth, and our hometown burning to the ground. The sound of the shop alarms set me off and I couldn't resist." Cloud admitted, his eyes wet with tears.

"I'll stop you next time." Tifa said, "I promise." She smiled weakly as he turned and looked into her red eyes. "I need you Cloud." She placed her hand on his shoulder and the sound of the cliff giving away rang in her ears. "Cloud!" She screamed as he began to plummet. She dropped to her stomach, her large breasts hanging off the cliff as she grabbed his wrists.

"Tifa." Cloud said, his eyes wide and he looked up at her and saw the cliff giving out under her, "Leave me. Go." He said as she pulled him up slowly, each moment more and more the cliff weakened.

"Never." Tifa roared as she continued, pulling him up until he grabbed the ledge and she continued to help, the cliff weakening more and more as they struggled.

"Tifa." Cloud said as he felt the cliff give way just as he finished climbing up. "Go." He said trying to move towards her, as the cliff gave out again.


End file.
